Real Problems

The Associated Press has leaned substantially to the left in recent years. That said, they still have some people who know politics and write useful stuff, including this article by Philip Elliott on the shortcomings of the various likely GOP presidential candidates. I find the problems identified to be essentially correct.

Every member of the wannabe pool has problems of one sort or another, problems President Obama's minions will use against the GOP nominee in 2012. However, we need to remind ourselves that the challenger's characteristics are not overwhelmingly important unless absolutely disqualifying. Let's remember why.

When a sitting president runs for reelection, that election is essentially a referendum on the president's performance during the first four years. If a majority of voters think that performance was okay, the president gets a second term. If a majority think it wasn't okay, we get a new president.

If modern American politics continue in the discouraging pattern of the last two decades, the 2012 election is likely to present us once again with a "lesser of two evils" choice. Wouldn't it be great if that dilemma did not recur?